Veronica woke up in a pool of her own sweat. The nightmares had started after her visit to the Whispering Shadows Coven. Veronica reached for the water in the glass that she had left on her dark wooden nightstand. The room was still pitch black from her blackout curtains and the fact that it was still nighttime outside of her window. "What the hell is going on?" Veronica whispered to herself after she had placed the glass back on the table. She drew her knees to her chest and sat against the pillows that pushed against the headboard. She stared at nothing in particular in the room. Her mind replayed the dream that had caused her sudden wakefulness. Veronica had been standing over a man. He had been naked and laid out across the bed. She stood over him, her own body naked as well. She held a burning candle in her hands and slowly tipped the burning candle's wax across the man's chest. At first Vernonica thought her consciousness was playing out a scene from a movie, however she was
"What are we to do with her?" one of the other women who had entered the room asked. They all watched Veronica as she exhausted herself in her anger. "I think it best that she is removed from the coven," the woman who had originally walked up the Veronica said. The others began to nod their heads. "She will come back for us. She is one of our more powerful witches," Someone else said. Lila could hear the fear in that one's voice. The older lady thought for a moment. "Then we strip her of her memory," some of the women looked over with their eyes wide. They have never stripped a witch of her memories before. It had never been needed in the past. As the idea sunk in, they nodded their heads once more. They could not see a way around it. The group began to gather around Veronica. They joined hands and began to chant together as one. Veronica stood in the center. She tried to go after one of the smaller women, but her actions were halted by an unseen force that protected those reciting
The older woman stood across from Lila and regarded her. She could not tell if the woman was a threat. Although one could never tell another's true intentions until it was too late. "There is something I cannot quite put my finger on. You are a witch are you not?" The older woman asked bluntly. "I am," Lila slowly nodded her head. "You are the only one here?" The older woman questioned again. Lila slowly nodded her head, but her eyes flew to her stomach without thinking first. "You are pregnant," she said without waiting for Lila to confirm. "Sensing the aura, it is something mythical. What is it?" The woman's gaze met Lila's once more. "Werewolf," Lila said quietly. It was better to come clean now than deal with any sort of torture that the woman might inflict on her to get her answers. "I am not threat to you. I just wish to live here peacefully and raise my child. The same as my parents," Lila said. She hoped that it sounded convincing enough. There was a moment of silenc
Aurora and Arden stood in the office. It was almost 6pm the following evening. The witch, Meredith, had told Arden to meet her in his office. Arden gently moved his hand to cover Aurora's. Her gaze was distant. Arden knew that she was thinking about Eli. They had dropped him off earlier with Faith and Doctor Collins. Aurora had held him tightly and kissed the top of his head. "I love you," she whispered into his ear. Eli pulled back and smiled at his mother. "I love you too, momma. Don’t be long. I want to show you how well I am doing in my reading class tonight," Aurora smiled and nodded before standing back up next to Arden. Arden had wrapped his hand around her waist as he smiled down and Eli ruffled his hair. Eli giggled and then went to stand by his grandmother. As Aurora stared at nothing in the Alpha office, she thought about the day that she had given birth to Eli. She had not been ready to be a mother at such a young age, but she had never once regretted her decision to
Alpha Evander rubbed his temples as he walked down the long hallway to his bedroom. Today had been most taxing on his patience with his pack. There were quite a few fires to put out and issues to resolve and it left a pounding feeling in the Alpha's head. Alpha Evander opened the heavy door that separated his room from the rest of the pack house. The last thing he expected was for Veronica to be lounging about on his settee. "What a surprise. I thought that I might have seen the last of you," Alpha Evander drawled as he closed the door behind him. The last thing he wanted to do was show his surprise to the witch. He might enjoy her body, but it did not mean that he wanted anything else from her. "Does that mean you did not miss me?" Veronica faked a pout as she pulled her legs rom the side of the settee and put them back underneath her. Alpha Evand scoffed at her insincere response. This was exactly the reason he did not trust witches. "Well, I have you know that I have done exa
Aurora quietly closed Eli's door. They had not made it back before he had fallen asleep. Arden had carried Eli to his bed and then went to check in with Rich. Aurora had pulled the covers to Eli's chin and kissed his forehead. She watched her son sleep for a moment. She vowed that she would do everything that she could in order to break the curse. The witches had mentioned either the witch would break the curse, or she would have to die. Aurora shivered at the idea of taking another's life. Especially when she did not know the woman at all. Veronica. The name rang through her head once more. Aurora wondered if it was the same woman who was involved with Alpha Evander. Deep down she hoped it were so. They had no other leads if this one proved to be a dead end. Aurora closed the door to her and Arden's room. Arden sat on the corner of the mattress. Aurora put her hand to her heart. Arden chuckled as he walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her closed. I
Arden held his cell phone to his ear as he waited for Alpha Evander to answer on the other end. Arden thought that the call would go to voicemail, but it ended up getting answered on the last ring. "You do realize how early it is," Alpha Evander drawled on the other end. Arden raised a brow. He had called this early before and Alpha Evander always sounded as though he had been awake for hours. Arden wondered what had changed this time. "I apologize but I wanted to set another meeting with you to go over our visit with the witch’s coven," there was a moment of silence on the other end. Alpha Evander wondered why Alpha Arden wanted to share this information with him. It was not as though they were friends. "Your territory or mine?" Alpha Evander finally asked. "The Northern Pack should suffice for this meeting," Alpha Arden said. Alpha Evander confirmed he would be able to make a visit the following day. They quickly ended their call and each hung up their phones. Each with some
"Why have you brought me here?" Aurora asked the young girl. Names were never given during their meeting with the other witches of the Whispering Shadows Coven. "I want to help you," the girl said as she took a few more steps forward. Why would this witch want to help Aurora? She did not even know her apart from their meeting the other day. "Why?" Aurora asked. "You have a son?" the girl finally asked. Aurora slowly nodded her head. She had told the coven this and wa unsure why that played a factor. She did not come from the mythical world but from what she has scene of witches, they are not the kind that would be selfless to just help anyone. "And you would do anything for him?" The girl questioned Aurora again. "Of course I will," Aurora answered without hesitation. The young girl nodded as if she had already known the answer. A small smile spread across her face. "I am sorry that no one explained this to you when were all in the meeting, but do you happen to know what mak
Eli's wolf, Hermes, ran through the forest at top speed. Eli had just received his wolf. The full moon sat high in the sky. Arden had asked if Eli wanted him to run with him, but Eli had kindly rejected the offer. Eli wanted to get to know his wolf on his own. He was currently sixteen years old and was doing well in school. Eli trained everyday with Arden in order to make sure that he was in the best shape before getting his wolf. Hermes’ voice had run through Eli's mind as soon as the clock had struck twelve. Aurora smiled as her son waved to his mother and father before running into the woods to shift for the first time. His father had been right. It hurt like a son of bitch, but it ended quickly, and Eli’s wolf stood tall and howled deeply. Alerting Arden that everything was alright. "Have a good run son," Arden mind linked with Eli. Eli laughed and let his wolf run free. As Hermes rounded the bend in the trees, he suddenly caught a scent. It was the tastiest scent ever. Almost
Charles Brown stood at the front door of the pack house once again. He knocked lightly and when the door opened her was met by Eli. A broad smile appeared on his face. "Charlie Brown!" he exclaimed as he hugged Charles around the waist. Charles had been surprised at the child's actions but patted his back none the less. "Hello, Elijah. It is nice to see you again. Where are your parents?" Charles asked the boy. Eli stepped back and pointed upstairs. Charles's brows knitted together as he walked through the foyer of the pack house. "Hello, Charles. I will see you to the Alpha office while we wait for the Alpha and Luna," Rich, Arden's Beta said as he extended his hand in the direction of the Alpha office. Charles nodded and followed the Beta. As soon as Charles sat down in the large chair on the other side of the desk, the door opened, and Arden and Aurora walked through the doorway. "Apologies for the delay, Charles," Arden said. He glanced back at Aurora quickly and then back at
Aurora walked back into the pack house. She never imagined that she would be able to have another child again after what Lila had done to her. Aurora walked through the pack house in a daze until she got to Eli's room where Arden and Eli were currently playing with Eli's action figures. Arden noticed Aurora's demeanor and stood up. "Are you alright?" Arden asked concerned. Aurora finally looked up at him. A smile spread across her face and tears began to cascade down her face. Arden was unsure how to proceed. Was she okay, was she in denial, what had happened out there with the witches? "Sweetheart, are you okay?" Arden asked again. "I am better than okay. I am wonderful. The witches, they helped us. They said that it was a show of good faith between their coven and our pack and to show how grateful they were for letting them into our territory and taking care of Veronica," Aurora said. "What was?" Arden asked. "They gave me back the ability to have children," Aurora said qui
Aurora woke the next morning. Eli was cuddled to her side. They had fallen asleep to the movie that Eli had put on after they had eaten their dinner. Aurora's hand fell behind her, but Arden was not in bed with them. He must have already woken for the day. Aurora assumed that he had several things to do after yesterday. Aurora's mind went to Lila once more. What a turn of events? Aurora looked down at Eli. His breathing was still even. She slowly and gently pulled her arm out from under his head. She quietly tiptoed towards the bathroom to do her morning rituals. When she opened the door to the bedroom was more, she smiled when she saw that Eli was still sound asleep. She grabbed her long robe and went to the door. She was sure that he would be up soon enough. She would let him stay home from school today, she would be lying if she said it was just so he could rest. She wanted him around as well. Aurora made her way down to the kitchen. It looked as though breakfast had just ended.
Lila woke to a lovely aroma coming from Mason's kitchen. She sat up and let the blanket fall to her waist. She remembered that Mason had offered to let her sleep on the couch. After teleporting so much her body was screaming for rest and Mason must have noticed. She sniffed the air again and followed the smell into the kitchen where she saw Mason standing at the stove cooking dinner. Mason had heard her moving around in the living room. He knew that she would not stay asleep much longer without eating. "Rested?" Mason asked without turning around to look at her. "Yes, thank you," Lila said. She felt unsure what to do with herself. Mason did not exactly make her feel welcomed, but he was not kicking her out either. "Dinner is almost ready if you would like to take a seat," Mason said as if reading her conflicted mind. Lila walked over to the small table and noticed that it as set. "Since when did you cook?" Lila asked Mason to make conversation. "There is actually quite a bit you
Lila had seen Arden take Aurora upstairs. She wasted no time teleporting back to Mason's cabin. She did not want to be around Rich and Roger more than was necessary. As Lila appeared in the center of the room, Mason had a question look on his face, but he also remembered his grandson sitting on the couch next to him. Mason refrained from asking. Lila bent down and looked at Eli. What she saw surprised her. His eyes shone brightly like a wolf. Lila looked up at Mason who did not seem to notice it. Lila looked back and just as clearly, she could see hiseyes, they were back to their usual color. Lila thought maybe she had imagined it. She thought about the curse that had been lifted from him with the death of Veronica. Perhaps that is what she had just witnessed. Suddenly a large man barged through the cabin door. Jack gave Mason an apologetic look, "Sorry but the Alpha would like me to get Eli home," he tried to explain. Mason shook his head and stood up from the couch. "Understoo
Lila teleported Arden and Aurora back to the pack house. She landed them in the center of the foyer. Rich and Roger both looked at each other when they saw the trio. It was time to move. Rich called out to the warriors that he knew he could trust. Seven men all walked forward and stood at attention. "I hope this is enough," Lila said under her breath. She looked out at the seven men including Arden, Rich and Roger. Lila looked at Aurora then. "Would it be safer if you stayed here as well?" Lila asked. Aurora was surprised that it was not dripping with mockery. Aurora noticed that Lila actually looked genuine in her question. "I only ask because it will cause Arden ti be distracted when dealing with the witch," Lila explained. Again, Aurora was shocked by her actions and how she was talking with Aurora. "I go where my mate goes," Aurora said. Lila did not argue with her but instead looked back at the group of men. "We are ready," Rich said to Arden. Arden nodded his head and turne
Lila was in the living room and standing at a pitcher of lemonade. She had asked the maid if she was able to leave the guest room that she was currently occupying. The maid had smiled and said of course. However, as they left the room, Lila noticed that the maid was never more than three steps behind her. Lila scoffed quietly to herself. Lila walked around the house until finally coming to the living room area. Veronica had already been away for a couple of hours. Lila wondered when she would return. Lila turned towards the maid. "I am sorry to ask but would it be too much trouble to get a pitcher of lemonade? Pregnancy cravings," Lila shrugged her shoulders in apology. The maid smiled and shook her head. "No trouble at all. I will see what the kitchen can come up with. Be right back," with that the maid took off down a hall. Lila sat down heavily on the couch and looked around the gothic room. It was dark with not a lot of sunlight coming through. Lila noticed the large firepla
Aurora was sitting on the back patio and looking up at the stars. She had just put Eli to bed but sleep was evading her. Especially after finding out the shadow was still visiting Eli during the night. It made it hard for her to sleep when all she wanted to do was sit outside of his door and wait for the thing to show up so she could take action. Arden and Rich had been in the office most of the evening. They were going over their plans to take out Veronica was they arrived at her home and any issues they might run into. Aurora had grown tired of listening and had made her way outside. From behind her the leaves of the trees moved. The noise caused Aurora to look over her shoulder. As she did so, a movement caught her eye. Auror stood up quickly. She thought she had seen a girl. Not just any girl, but the one who had given her the vile for Veronica. Aurora looked back at the pack house. She knew that she should call someone. Arden and Rich were busy, and Aurora did not know wher